The present invention rotates to hybrid composite materials and in particular to a hybrid composite and a manufacturing process using a 3-D printed element in the fabrication of the hybrid composites.
Hybrid composites are materials constructed from two different materials, one of which is a composite (for example, a fiber reinforced polymer with a metal, or two different fiber reinforced polymer matrices). The use of hybrid composites simplifies the design and manufacture of specialized materials by allowing pre-manufacture of one composite element having particular strength properties and then permitting the composite element to be assembled into a secondary composite to augment the strength of that secondary composite in a way that would be difficult to manufacture monolithically. For example, a reinforced shape, such as a rod or bar may be advantageously pre-manufactured by extrusion or pultrusion to provide axial alignment of the fiber reinforcements. The pultruded shape may then be incorporated into a secondary composite laid up with woven fiber mats. Each manufacturing process contributes its particular advantage.
During the manufacturing process of a hybrid composite, the pre-manufactured reinforcement components must be properly aligned and retained for integration into the completed structure. Supporting the components of a hybrid composite material during integration can be difficult.